7+ Time-Tested Ways To Get Rid Of Hiccups Instantly

Hiccups often occur all of a sudden at the most inconvenient time—just before you have to give a speech or after dinner toast, for instance. They can quickly become annoying if they continue to persist.

There are some people who face this problem regularly and hunt the internet for queries like – How to get rid of hiccups instantly? 

Normally, hiccups don’t require any medical attention and stop after a short period of time. However, it may happen that they persist and become a nuisance, impacting your normal life.

Different people suggest different remedies to cure hiccups, which may or may not solve your problem. But, we have found some tried-and-tested remedies that can give you relief from these bothersome hiccups.

An American man named Charles Osborne holds the record for hiccupping continuously for 68 years, from 1922 to 1990. It’s a rare case, so don’t be afraid.

Before exploring the cures for hiccups, you should know what exactly it is?

Hiccups are medically known as singultus or SDF – Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter. A hiccup occurs when our diaphragm contracts involuntarily and is followed by the sudden closure of our vocal cords. It irritates our vagus nerve or one of its branches, which run from the brain to the abdomen.

So What Causes Hiccups?

Here are some common causes of hiccups :

• Drinking or eating too much or too quickly
• Drinking carbonated fizzy drinks
• Abdominal surgery
• Drinking excessive alcohol
• Excess smoking may also cause hiccups
• Noxious Fumes and certain medications

How to Get Rid of Hiccups?

All the home remedies or cures used to knock off hiccups are believed to work on two principles.

1. The first method works on to overwhelm the vagus nerve with another sensation like shock, fear, emergency, etc. We do this because the phrenic nerves or vagus nerves are irritated when we hiccup and for that reason it requires stimulation to function normally. When there are other emergency sensations, the vagus nerve signals the brain to work on it and end the hiccups.
2. Other methods or remedies try to interfere with our breathing by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. This way our body will tend to be more concerned with getting rid of the carbon dioxide and may stop our hiccups.

How to Get Rid of Hiccups Instantly

1. Drink a Glass of Water Through a Straw and Plug Your Ears

Drinking a glass of water through a straw while your ears are plugged with your fingers can knock off the hiccups.

The branches of the vagus nerve also reach into the auditory system and when you put fingers in your ears, it stimulates the nerve endings and can put an end to your hiccups.

2. Bag those Exasperating Hiccups

According to various experts, when we breathe into a paper bag, it increases the amount of carbon dioxide we’re taking in and compel our body to get rid of it and forgets producing hiccups.

Remember one thing, don’t cover your head with the paper bag.

3. Call Your Crazy Friend to Scare You

If you have a crazy friend who play pranks on you or try to scare you at times, it’s time to call him. If you have someone who can surprise you or scare you, it can overwhelm the vagus nerve and save you from the annoying hiccups.

4. Eat some Sugar to Sweeten the Hiccups

Eating a spoonful of sugar is a popular home remedy for curing hiccups. The graininess of sugar is said to somewhat irritate the esophagus, causing the phrenic nerves to reset themselves and solve your problem.

5. Try the paper towel trick

To end your quest for – How to get rid of Hiccups? Try out this paper towel trick. You need to place a layer of paper towel on the top of a glass filled with water and then you have to drink through it.

To suck up the water from the paper towel, you’ll have to pull harder with your diaphragm and this concentrated gulping can offset spasmodic muscle movements of hiccups.

6. Enjoy a little honey

Do you like honey? Most of us do like honey and also it has many health benefits. But most of you might not know that this sweet honey can also help you to get rid of hiccups.

For doing so, you need to put a teaspoon of delicious honey, stirred in hot water, on the back of your tongue, and swallow it. Honey could possibly tickle the vagus nerve and stop your hiccups.

7. Try biting a lemon wedge

If you’re sick and tired of your hiccups and nothing is working, you can try biting a lemon wedge and suck in the juice. The sour taste of lemon wedge can elicit a similar reaction as to someone scaring you, which can excite the vagus nerve and end your exasperation.

8. Say Bye- Bye To Hiccups By Sipping Apple Cider Vinegar

I know that ACV tastes really bad, but it has many health benefits, one of which is getting rid of hiccups. Just close your eyes and sip 1-2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar. It may excite your vagus nerve and hiccups will be gone for good.

Concluding Words

I hope that these time-tested remedies will end your internet search for the question – How to get rid of Hiccups instantly? If you have some other remedies that have worked for you, you can share it with other readers in the comments section below.